Burnside Bridge Earthquake Readiness Project

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

From the internets:

The connecting approaches for the Tilikum Crossing, particularly on the west side, were built to a lower "life safety" standard. This means they are not expected to be serviceable or functional immediately after a major seismic event. The western approach also crosses under vulnerable I-5 and I-405 viaducts, which are likely to be heavily damaged and block access to the bridge.

The Sellwood Bridge is built to modern seismic standards, designed to withstand a major earthquake without collapsing. While the bridge structure itself is highly resilient, the seismic performance of the entire route could be impacted by potential landslides at the approaches, which would need to be addressed after a major event to ensure the bridge remains fully operational.

The new Burnside Bridge, also known as the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge (EQRB) project, is designed to a high seismic standard to withstand a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. It is categorized as a Priority 1 emergency route, meaning it must be functional immediately following a major seismic event. The bridge is expected to be usable immediately after a major earthquake, including a magnitude 9.0 event from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, with damage that is repairable.

That could mean a lot of dead people if the landslides come from the west of the bridge...and by dead people, I mean people who have been dead for a while